WHAT:                    AmeriCorps/Senior Corps pinning ceremony

WHO:                       Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola; Denise Grace, director of the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Central Arkansas; Derek Cromwell, program officer at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS); nearly 30 honorees receiving pins

WHERE:                  John L. McClellan Veterans Hospital

4300 W. 7^th St.

  Little Rock, AR 72205

WHEN:                    1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  –  Today, the City of Little Rock and the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Central Arkansas, in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), will recognize several veterans who have continued their service to America as AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers, as well as national service participants supporting veterans and military families.

The event, held at John L. McClellan Veterans Hospital, will honor these dedicated individuals as members of National Veteran Corps, which is part of a larger effort to raise awareness of the value that veterans bring to communities. The event today in Little Rock is one of nearly 200 recognition ceremonies featuring National Veteran Corps pin presentations taking place across the country throughout the month of November.

Nearly 30 veterans and national service members are being presented with a special pin at the ceremony, joining thousands of national service members across the country in the National Veteran Corps. RSVP counts nearly 700 people as volunteers in the central Arkansas area.

“Our commitment to veterans and their families is deep and it's twofold: We serve them, and we ask them to serve with us. National service gives our heroes a new mission on the homefront, a pathway to opportunity, and a better transition to civilian life,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “This month is an opportunity to salute those who are serving our country again, while bringing attention to the critical work being done by veterans-focused national service programs.”

Last year, national service members served more than 780,000 veterans and military members in VA clinics and hospitals, veteran service organizations, and at nonprofits and public agencies. In addition, more than 23,000 veterans served in their local communities applying leadership abilities and skills acquired during their military service through Catholic Charities USA, Habitat for Humanity, Teach For America, and multiple conservation corps programs, including those that have helped combat wildfires in the Western U.S.

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The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service and developing community solutions through its AmeriCorps, including VISTA and NCCC, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and other programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

In central Arkansas since 1972, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program helps individuals age 55 an older put their skills and life experience to work for their communities. RSVP volunteers serve from a few to 40 hours a week in many challenging volunteer opportunities, from tutoring children and assisting a senior center patron to helping cancer patients and comforting victims of disasters. More information can be found at rsvpcenark.org.